Rephonic
Artwork for Word In Your Ear
The Beatles
Punk Rock
David Bowie
Oasis
Bob Dylan
Music Industry
London
Paul Mccartney
John Lennon
Live Aid
Beach Boys
Bob Marley
Taylor Swift
Music History
Ringo Starr
Rolling Stones
Music
Bruce Springsteen
Jimi Hendrix
Joni Mitchell

Mark Ellen and David Hepworth have been talking about and writing about music together and individually for a collective eighty years in magazines like Smash Hits, Mojo and The Word and on radio and TV programmes like "Rock On", "Whistle Test" and VH-1.

Over thirteen years ago, when working on the late magazine The Word, they began producing podcasts. Some listeners have been kind enough to say th... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes963Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Music HistoryMusicMusic Commentary

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Artwork for Word In Your Ear

Latest Episodes

Old friend of the podcast Lloyd Bradley wrote Bass Culture, the defining account of reggae, and he’s now turned his attention to funk, from its deepest roots and via the jazz, arts, TV, radio and pop culture that flavoured it. The main 10-year focus ... more

YouTube

Leo Sayer burst onto national telly in 1973 dressed as a Pierrot with the Show Must Go On launching a 50-year career in colourful company – songwriters, boxing legends, swindling managers, scurrilous socialites – and learning a great deal in the proc... more

Chasing the shade and slapping the Sunscreen on this week’s overheated news, we pour a tinkling drink and reflect upon the following …

… British people in hot weath-ah!

… when rock stars you haven’t seen for 50 years pop up on Zoom

… Lennon’s t... more

Daniel Lanois built a studio in his basement in Quebec and began producing local acts when a teenager. Through work with Brian Eno, he went on to record U2, Bob Dylan, Arcade Fire, Emmylou Harris and scores of others with a method that’s unique, cine... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Rat Scabies
Drummer for The Damned
The Damned
Episode: The Damned at 50 and the memories (and regrets) of Rat Scabies
Simon Reynolds
Author of Still In A Dream, Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock 1984–1994
Author
Episode: Shoegaze, slackers, ‘noise chasms’ and the 10-year reinvention of rock
David Sheppard
Author of On Some Faraway Beach, The Life and Times of Bryan Eno
Author
Episode: Brian Eno’s restless creative adventures with Roxy, Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads
Paul Sexton
Author of Rock Goes To College
Author of Rock Goes To College
Episode: The Who, Floyd, Led Zep and the great college circuit that launched 1,000 bands
Graham Thompson
Author/thinker discussed on the episode
Talk Talk book author
Episode: Paul Simon, Bad Bunny, how songwriting changed & the scourge of Blue Dot Fever!
David Shepard
Author of Brian Eno biography
Author
Episode: Paul Simon, Bad Bunny, how songwriting changed & the scourge of Blue Dot Fever!
Imogen Willetts
Author of Up All Night, A History of Going Out
Author, Up All Night
Episode: Pleasure Gardens, cabaret, nightclubs, rave & 350 years of the Big Night Out
Andy Earl
Photographer known for album covers and PR photography
Photographer for Bow Wow Wow, Duran Duran, Madonna, Prince, Johnny Cash
Episode: Andy Earl’s memories of photographing Prince, Madonna and Johnny Cash
Penny Kiley
Author of Atypical Girl, Punk Rock, Liverpool and Trying To Be Normal
Author
Episode: The Clash, the Cramps and Penny Kiley’s teenage punk diaries

Hosts

Mark Ellen
Co-host and host of the long-running conversation series, with a focus on music history, culture, and interviews with artists and authors.
David Hepworth
Co-host and co-creator; renowned for music history context, collaborative storytelling, and candid cultural insights.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 800 ratings
  • Love it

    Always enjoy this podcast, well done fellas. The Paul Rees episode is hilarious!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    VInceTask
    Australia4 months ago
  • Word Up ⬆️

    Mark and David’s discussions are excellent company. They haven’t lost their passion for music, culture and music culture history and I find these podcasts are full of endless insights, ideas, and anecdotes.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    colm_
    Ireland4 months ago
  • Extraordinary

    Gentle, informed, knowingly provocative sometimes - like being down the pub with two knowledgeable mates. The only podcast I have ever or probably will ever pay ready money for! Just listen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Dion wrote this
    United Kingdom4 months ago
  • Please give us a break with the ads

    I used to really enjoy this show but I find the incessant ads these days intolerable so have basically stopped listening. I think it’s a morbid symptom of letting Acast run your ads - they are not worried about alienating any given show’s audience by choking the content with relentless commercial breaks

    Shame

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    splinno
    United Kingdom4 months ago
  • Love this podcast

    Excellent

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BobBsing
    Singapore4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are consistently high-caliber and bring unique perspectives.
The show's long-form format and historical focus are highly valued by fans.
Listeners praise the hosts' knowledge and conversational warmth.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Brian Eno’s restless creative adventures with Roxy, Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads
Q: What is the story behind using two weeks of holiday for U2 during a recording session?
The idea was to force a creative reset; when they returned, the band had a clearer sense of what to keep and what to discard, leading to tighter, more purposeful overdubs.
Brian Eno’s restless creative adventures with Roxy, Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads
Q: How did Oblique Strategies come to be and what has it meant for the work on Heroes?
The cards were created to solve creative blocks; they brought a disruptive, collaborative dynamic to the process, influencing how tracks were structured and how decisions were made in the studio.
Brian Eno’s restless creative adventures with Roxy, Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads
Q: When did you first connect with Bryan Eno, and what drew you to him?
Eno stood out through interviews that explored concepts beyond music, his ideas about texture, ambience, and the way he talked about sources like fossils and science fiction alongside songs.
Pleasure Gardens, cabaret, nightclubs, rave & 350 years of the Big Night Out
Q: When did you first realize nightlife could be treated as a big, cultural project rather than just a set of places to drink?
Imogen explains that her sense of the nightlife project grew from tracing histories across multiple cities and eras, recognizing how venues, dances, and social rituals reflected broader cultural shifts, economies, and technologies.
Andy Earl’s memories of photographing Prince, Madonna and Johnny Cash
Q: Tell us about the Prince shoot in Monte Carlo.
The session occurred during a World Music Awards setup in Monte Carlo; timing was tight and the atmosphere was initially challenging, but once the setup was ready and the subject arrived, the shoot produced a powerful, iconic image that captured Prince's eccentric—and magnetic—persona.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Word In Your Ear

What is Word In Your Ear about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Two long-running music broadcasters explore deep histories of rock, punk, shoegaze, and nightlife through intimate interviews, archival context, and cultural commentary. Episodes balance nostalgia with practical touring realities, industry anecdotes, and analysis of how technology, venues, and media shape listening and fandom. Notable strengths include a rich roster of guests spanning photographers, authors, journalists, and industry insiders, plus a consistent, unreconstructed voice that blends affection with sharp critique. The format often centers on the stories behind influential records, iconic scenes, and the people who documented or lived through them, making it a must-listen for listeners who crave craft, context, and long-form conv... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Word In Your Ear?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Word In Your Ear:

1. Rockonteurs with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt
2. EggPod Express
3. Sodajerker On Songwriting
4. Something About the Beatles
5. Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

How many episodes of Word In Your Ear are there?

Word In Your Ear launched 5 years ago and published 963 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Word In Your Ear?

Recent guests on Word In Your Ear include:

1. Rat Scabies
2. Simon Reynolds
3. David Sheppard
4. Paul Sexton
5. Graham Thompson
6. David Shepard
7. Imogen Willetts
8. Andy Earl

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